UGA Study: Regular Walking Nearly Halves Elderly Disability Risk

Older adults can decrease their risk of disability and increase their likelihood of maintaining independence by 41 percent by participating in a walking exercise program, according to a new University of Georgia study.

The study, which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, also found that walking program participants increased their peak aerobic capacity by 19 percent when compared to a control group and increased their physical function by 25 percent.

“In the past decade, researchers have focused on the benefits of strength training in maintaining independence, but until now we didn’t have good evidence using an objective performance measure that a walking program would improve physical functioning,” said study co-author M. Elaine Cress, professor of kinesiology and researcher in the UGA Institute of Gerontology. “Our study found that walking offers tremendous health benefits that can help older adults stay independent.”

The researchers randomly assigned 26 low-income adults aged 60 and older to either a walking exercise group, which met three times a week for four months, or a nutrition education control group. Initially, the group would walk for 10 minutes continually. As the weeks progressed, they increased their walking time to 40 continuous minutes. Each session began with a 10-minute warm-up and ended with a 10-minute cool-down that included balance and flexibility exercises.

Trudy Moore-Harrison, the lead author of the study and a former UGA doctoral student, explained that the researchers focused their study on low-income individuals because people with fewer financial resources are less likely to be physically active and are more likely to have chronic health conditions and lack health care coverage. Moore-Harrison added that walking doesn’t require any special equipment other than a pair of comfortable shoes, which makes it a simple and low-cost way for people to become active. Moore-Harrison supervised the group, but the researchers said that motivated community members could lead similar groups across the country.

Getting people to stick with exercise programs can be notoriously difficult, but the researchers found that every single member of the group stayed with the program for its four-month duration. “People really enjoyed the program,” said Moore-Harrison, now a post-doctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. “It gave them an opportunity to make new friends and get to know their neighbors.”

The researchers measured the aerobic capacity of the participants using a treadmill test and found that while the control group saw an 9 percent decline in aerobic capacity over the four-month study period, the aerobic capacity of the walking group increased by 19 percent over the same time period.

“Aerobic capacity is really the engine that we draw upon for doing the things we want to do, whether it’s cleaning up around the house or running a marathon,” Cress said. “By increasing their aerobic capacity, the walking group was better able to perform their daily tasks and had more energy left over for recreational activities, like going out dancing.”

The researchers assessed health status and bodily pain through questionnaires and examined disability by measuring performance on factors such as balance and walking. Physical functioning was measured through both questionnaires and through tests that measured how well the volunteers performed daily activities such as climbing a flight of stairs and putting on and removing a jacket.

The researchers found that physical function increased by 25 percent in the walking exercise group, compared to a decrease of 1 percent in the control group. And while the control group saw their risk of disability increase over the four-month period, the walking exercise group saw their disability risk go from 66 percent to 25 percent – a decrease of 41 percent in just four months.

“We know that walking is good for you, but too many people still aren’t doing it,” Moore-Harrison said. “This study shows that just walking on a regular basis can make a huge impact on quality of life.”

The research was supported by the UGA Institute of Gerontology Seed Grant, the Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging and the Georgia Gerontology Consortium Seed Grant. The research was done in cooperation with the Athens Housing Authority.

By Sam Fahmy

Encouraging Residents to Get Moving

More than 3,000 Georgians exercised their way across the state this spring, so to speak, logging more than 500,000 virtual miles during the first session of the Walk Georgia Program.

Sponsored by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, the program is designed to help Georgians increase their physical activity, log their progress online and get communities involved.

“Friends and family challenged each other and used the program as an anchor,” said Sidney Law, UGA Extension coordinator in Washington County. “People who joined a team with their coworkers made it a group event and really increased their bond and morale.”

Not just for walkers

In addition to walking, activities such as aerobics, biking and gardening could be logged, too. The time spent exercising was converted into virtual miles. Participants could then use the miles to plot their courses.

From the mountains to the coast, they traveled online and learned interesting facts about counties along the way. The exercise logs gave participants concrete evidence of their accomplishments.

Washington County resident Mike Adams logged in hundreds of miles in the program and lost weight in the process.

“This walk across Georgia has motivated me to get back some things I have lost touch with, such as exercise,” Adams says. “I have lost 30 pounds since the first of the year and more so since the walk started. I will miss this when it’s gone, but I plan to continue walking for the rest of the year and hopefully the rest of my life.”

Motivating communities

Participants found ways to keep the whole community motivated, said Joann Milam, UGA Extension agent in Washington County. She wrote a weekly newspaper column about the program and participants in her county.

“The program really motivated people and made them accountable if they got off track,” Milam says. “Even if people weren’t motivated at first, the program got them hooked.”

Elaine Miller, who helped coordinate the program in Muscogee County, organized a kickoff event at the local park to get participants pumped up for the program.

“An elderly couple came in and signed up as a team together,” Miller said. “At the end of program ceremony, the woman said Walk Georgia is what it took to get her husband out of the house and moving. They are an exercising couple now, and had it not been for this program, they wouldn’t be.”

Session two coming up

The first session of Walk Georgia has ended. Registration for the next session will be August 24 through September 14. The fall program will run until November 1. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.walkgeorgia.org.

For more information on this and other Extension programs, contact your local UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1 or visit www.ugaextension.com.

By Allie Byrd
University of Georgia

Florida Woman Celebrates July 4th Walking Across America to Honor Veterans

BUSINESS WIRE--She’s walking with a purpose and it is not to lose weight or raise money. Her name is Keela Carr and she is about half way across the United States on her way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery to show support for our troops and honor Veterans. Carr began her “Journey of a Thousand Thanks” in Barstow, California.

The U.S. Army’s Freedom Team Salute (FTS) Program has recognized Carr’s efforts and named her its 500th Volunteer Ambassador. Freedom Team Salute honors all discharged Army Veterans and the Spouses, Parents, Supporters, and Employers of all Soldiers. Carr will be honored as a strong Army supporter and receive a FTS Commendation consisting of a certificate and a letter signed by the Secretary of the Army, Peter Geren and Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey, at a special ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

“July 4th is our Nation’s birthday and everyone in the United States should pause and take time to thank our Veterans and our deployed troops who are serving in harm’s way,” said Carr. “Freedom isn’t free. In fact, it is very expensive. Tens of thousands of brave men and women continue to make sacrifices to defend the United States and protect the freedoms we all take for granted.”

Carr says Americans have traditionally attended parades, barbecues, and fireworks on July 4th. She said the time we spend with family members and friends on our Nation’s birthday is important but remembering our Nation’s Soldiers is a must.

“Walking across America is my way of giving back,” said Carr. “The inspiration for my walk developed after I made a visit to Walter Reed last year and saw some of the severely wounded Soldiers. After leaving the hospital I decided to raise awareness for them and all Veterans. On July 4th, all Americans should find a way to say thank you and give back to our Soldiers and Veterans.”

“Keela Carr is on a mission,” said Colonel David Griffith, Director of the Army’s Freedom Team Salute Program. “It takes a special person to decide to leave their loved ones, job, and other activities to walk across America in support of Veterans and our active duty Soldiers. She is selfless and demonstrates her commitment to our Nation as she takes each step toward Walter Reed Medical Center in support of our troops.”

“When I arrive in D.C. I will be carrying a quilt made by the wives of World War II Veterans,” said Carr. “I’ll deliver the quilt to one of the severely injured Soldiers in the Wounded Warrior Project at Walter Reed to show him and others that people in America do care about our Soldiers.”

Keela Carr is 35 years old and originally from Danville, Illinois. She now makes her home in Apopka, Florida, outside of Orlando. Carr has been a personal trainer for 11 years specializing in rehabilitation, weight loss, post natal fitness and sports training.

Freedom Team Salute is a U.S. Army program launched in May 2005, by the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff to give the public the opportunity to thank Army Veterans for their service by recognizing them with Commendations. The program also provides the opportunity for Soldiers to thank Parents, a Spouse, Employers, and individual Supporters who make significant contributions to Soldiers and the Army mission. Freedom Team Salute has honored more than 1.3 million individuals over the past 3 years. For more information on becoming a Freedom Team Salute Ambassador or to honor a Veteran, go to www.freedomteamsalute.com